Pars... one more thing
Thanks for mentioning the different cap possibilities. Also, the PSU design program is really neat!
I usually order from Parts Connexion in Canada. When I order from the US I usually get dinged a brokerage fee. Fair enough, but it's around $30.00. That's probably why I end up buying a little on the overkill side due to their (Parts Connexion) selection on hand. Are a couple of local places I will check as well.
Again, many thanks for the input.
Thanks for mentioning the different cap possibilities. Also, the PSU design program is really neat!
I usually order from Parts Connexion in Canada. When I order from the US I usually get dinged a brokerage fee. Fair enough, but it's around $30.00. That's probably why I end up buying a little on the overkill side due to their (Parts Connexion) selection on hand. Are a couple of local places I will check as well.
Again, many thanks for the input.
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Hi Ed,
PSUD doesn't model everything. Look at the data sheet for the 6CA4 tube. It lists a minimum impedance for each plate to consider, in conjunction with the maximum input filter capacitor. This is made up of the dynamic impedance of the power transformer plus any resistive components. If there is less series resistance, you must reduce the size of the capacitor.
There is the thought that you want the most capacitance for a filter. This is actually not true for most situations, such as power supplies with light current draws. Time to think this through, I'll give you some truths, then use your common sense to think about things a bit.
The higher the value of capacitance you have, the less time there will be to charge that capacitance. This is because the input voltage must exceed the conduction thresholds in the rectifier (tube - solid state, doesn't matter here). That means that if your DC voltage is 235 VDC at the instant the applied voltage is beginning to conduct, the applied voltage must be about 236 VDC for a solid state rectifier, and possibly more like 240 ~ 250 VDC for a tube rectifier. Is everyone okay with this so far?
Now, a lower capacitance allows the DC supply to fall more between charges. In other words, more ripple voltage - right? Now the question, is ripple voltage a bad thing when there is more filtering or a regulator downstream? Well, no. In fact, some ripple voltage is a very good thing to have. If the voltage is lower, the rectifier conducts earlier and can supply the energy used over a longer time period (lights should be coming on about now - HINT!). With a larger capacitance, the voltage does not fall nearly as much. Therefore, the same energy must be replaced - but over a shorter time! So, what does this mean? If you need to transfer electrical energy over a shorter time, the current must be higher in value. In fact, a lot higher for a shorter period of time to keep the average the same. Now, what does this really mean to us? Think a bit before continuing please.
What happens (for real - check out peak current in PSUD) is that the higher peak current causes more IR losses - losses due to resistance and current flow. Our transformer and rectifiers run hotter. Make sure the peak currents do not exceed the peak ratings (hot switching current for our tube). Play with capacitance values and watch the peak current in PSUD. Now, if you put a resistance in series with the tube plates, the voltage will drop and the peak current is reduced. This is why a series resistance is specified for a tube. On semiconductor data sheets, it's up to you to work back from the peak current ratings. Note that some inductance can either help or greatly hinder the situation.
On to the other issues generally not discussed. With higher ripple voltage, the frequencies are generally low, 120 Hz and up (100 Hz in Europe) for a full wave rectifier. There will be harmonics, but they are minimized. This is extremely good, because regulators are good at stopping lower frequencies, but higher frequencies may just sail right on through to your circuits. Okay, so our ever helpful dealer / technician increases the filter capacitance. What now? I guess they don't think, but they do read. The higher capacitance forces higher currents in a shorter time, as pointed out earlier. This means that the higher harmonics are drastically increased, and the higher current peaks increases the amplitude of our unwanted high frequencies. Inductance will now become far more important and cause yet more problems. Possibly higher voltage spikes too (you did buy diodes with much higher breakdown voltages - didn't you?
). Since all of this works to increase higher frequency noise and spikes, and regulators work less well at high frequencies, we've really shot ourselves in the .... foot, yeah, foot.
Now, can you see why the older engineers (who really knew what they were doing) often used 8 mfd capacitors? I'm going to suggest that you could improve performance by reducing those (both!) 100 uF capacitors down to 22 uF instead of the maximum of 50 uF. The only thing you have to watch for is regulator drop-out when your load is the highest (constant in a preamp, or nearly so) and you have minimum input voltage. So try 22 uF, or maybe 33 uF and install some resistance in series with the plates. BTW, the effect of resistance there attenuates any high frequency production still more. So, it's a very good thing. The second capacitor should stay lower than 50 uF if at all possible. Remember, we are looking at peak currents and harmonic content here. So while a larger "C" after the "R" will improve filtering action, there are still trade-offs in play. As long as the regulator is not dropping out, lower capacitance will improve efficiency and reduce heat generation (also a really good thing). Let's deal with noise we can handle easily and leave the uninformed to fight with the high frequency stuff that isn't necessary in the first place.
Any questions, thoughts or comments?
Ed, where are you located? I did have to fight the damage that dealers and their "service departments" caused to equipment. Your story is extremely common.
-Chris
PSUD doesn't model everything. Look at the data sheet for the 6CA4 tube. It lists a minimum impedance for each plate to consider, in conjunction with the maximum input filter capacitor. This is made up of the dynamic impedance of the power transformer plus any resistive components. If there is less series resistance, you must reduce the size of the capacitor.
There is the thought that you want the most capacitance for a filter. This is actually not true for most situations, such as power supplies with light current draws. Time to think this through, I'll give you some truths, then use your common sense to think about things a bit.
The higher the value of capacitance you have, the less time there will be to charge that capacitance. This is because the input voltage must exceed the conduction thresholds in the rectifier (tube - solid state, doesn't matter here). That means that if your DC voltage is 235 VDC at the instant the applied voltage is beginning to conduct, the applied voltage must be about 236 VDC for a solid state rectifier, and possibly more like 240 ~ 250 VDC for a tube rectifier. Is everyone okay with this so far?
Now, a lower capacitance allows the DC supply to fall more between charges. In other words, more ripple voltage - right? Now the question, is ripple voltage a bad thing when there is more filtering or a regulator downstream? Well, no. In fact, some ripple voltage is a very good thing to have. If the voltage is lower, the rectifier conducts earlier and can supply the energy used over a longer time period (lights should be coming on about now - HINT!). With a larger capacitance, the voltage does not fall nearly as much. Therefore, the same energy must be replaced - but over a shorter time! So, what does this mean? If you need to transfer electrical energy over a shorter time, the current must be higher in value. In fact, a lot higher for a shorter period of time to keep the average the same. Now, what does this really mean to us? Think a bit before continuing please.
What happens (for real - check out peak current in PSUD) is that the higher peak current causes more IR losses - losses due to resistance and current flow. Our transformer and rectifiers run hotter. Make sure the peak currents do not exceed the peak ratings (hot switching current for our tube). Play with capacitance values and watch the peak current in PSUD. Now, if you put a resistance in series with the tube plates, the voltage will drop and the peak current is reduced. This is why a series resistance is specified for a tube. On semiconductor data sheets, it's up to you to work back from the peak current ratings. Note that some inductance can either help or greatly hinder the situation.
On to the other issues generally not discussed. With higher ripple voltage, the frequencies are generally low, 120 Hz and up (100 Hz in Europe) for a full wave rectifier. There will be harmonics, but they are minimized. This is extremely good, because regulators are good at stopping lower frequencies, but higher frequencies may just sail right on through to your circuits. Okay, so our ever helpful dealer / technician increases the filter capacitance. What now? I guess they don't think, but they do read. The higher capacitance forces higher currents in a shorter time, as pointed out earlier. This means that the higher harmonics are drastically increased, and the higher current peaks increases the amplitude of our unwanted high frequencies. Inductance will now become far more important and cause yet more problems. Possibly higher voltage spikes too (you did buy diodes with much higher breakdown voltages - didn't you?
). Since all of this works to increase higher frequency noise and spikes, and regulators work less well at high frequencies, we've really shot ourselves in the .... foot, yeah, foot.Now, can you see why the older engineers (who really knew what they were doing) often used 8 mfd capacitors? I'm going to suggest that you could improve performance by reducing those (both!) 100 uF capacitors down to 22 uF instead of the maximum of 50 uF. The only thing you have to watch for is regulator drop-out when your load is the highest (constant in a preamp, or nearly so) and you have minimum input voltage. So try 22 uF, or maybe 33 uF and install some resistance in series with the plates. BTW, the effect of resistance there attenuates any high frequency production still more. So, it's a very good thing. The second capacitor should stay lower than 50 uF if at all possible. Remember, we are looking at peak currents and harmonic content here. So while a larger "C" after the "R" will improve filtering action, there are still trade-offs in play. As long as the regulator is not dropping out, lower capacitance will improve efficiency and reduce heat generation (also a really good thing). Let's deal with noise we can handle easily and leave the uninformed to fight with the high frequency stuff that isn't necessary in the first place.
Any questions, thoughts or comments?
Ed, where are you located? I did have to fight the damage that dealers and their "service departments" caused to equipment. Your story is extremely common.
-Chris
How long have you got?Hi Alan,
BTW, this circuit was "designed" entirely by ear. Those capacitors are not designed in and are poor choices as you have pointed out. This brings me to my next point. Any thoughts on those capacitor values?
-Chris
In the power supply box:
C77, which is the 100uF/500V cap directly after V8 (6CA4) in the power supply box is way too big. Reduce it to 47uF at least. And add a small value resistor between the cathode of V8 (pin3) and the following circuit. I suggest 22 to 47 Ohms (this resistor should be rated at 500V minimum to survive turn on). This will isolate C77 from the rectifier and turn the filter into a R-C-R-C arrangement which much improved filtering. But working on the power supply is difficult as it is very cramped in the box.
In the preamp:
C50 (1uF/400V film cap) is at the input of the valve regulation circuit that has 425V across it. Good eh? Replace with a 630V film cap.
C51 (12uF/350V), in the voltage regulator circuit, has ~ 380V across it. Good eh? Replace with a >400V part
C52 (110uF/100V) and C53 (1uF/200V) are across the 5651 reference valve. The Tungsol data sheet recommends a maximum shunt capacitance of 0.02uF. So the caps here are a mere 5000x too big. The easiest fix is to just remove C52.
C54 (1uF/200V) is connected across that 49.9k resistor that started this whole thread! It has 180V across it. It gets the prize for being the first cap in the box that has a voltage rating that exceeds its normal operating voltage! Good design would though use a 400V cap as under fault conditions this cap gets close to 300V and more. That is what happened when that 49.9k resistor failed - so consider replacing it as a precautionary measure.
C56 (8uF/200V) is the decoupling cap for the first stage of the phono section that has 260V across it. Good eh? Replace with a 400V film cap.
C59 (1uF/200V) is the decoupling cap for the second stage of the phono section that has 250V across it. Good eh? Replace with a 400V film cap.
C60(1uF/200V) is the decoupling cap for the line stage (Channel A) that has 250V across it. Good eh? Replace with a 400V film cap.
C61(1uF/200V) is the decoupling cap for the line stage (Channel B) that has 250V across it. Good eh? Replace with a 400V film cap.
C55/C57 and C58 are the axial leaded electrolytic caps that decouple the second stage phono, and line stage A & B, respectively. These are 200uF/250V and they have 250V across them. Good eh? Replace with the next available voltage rating - probably 385V/400V.
C10 (8uF/200V) is the output coupling cap (one per channel). During the muting cycle, which occurs during start up for ~ 90s, it has 250V across it. Replace with a 400V part.
The remaining caps are adequately rated for normal operating conditions but if anything goes wrong, such as a valve failing (which of course never happens
), then many of those also fail. Or worse, the dielectric takes a hammering and they slowly die in the weeks following valve replacement. During that period lovely explosive snaps are heard though the speakers - very entertaining!Don't you just love equipment that is designed by ear?
LOL!
Alan,
Well, if I'm going to order a part, I may as well order a couple dozen... and get more bang for my buck in the shipping cost! Glad I bought myself a Hakko 936 last spring for Father's day. What's a few more burns in the carpet!
Chris,
I thank you for the capacitor and resistor value suggestions in the outboard power supply Indeed it is similar Alan's comments.
I rather not mention the city I live in. All have good and bad service in them. Whatever was done back then to keep my preamp running near flawlessly for 20+ years is hard to fault. Or maybe I just got lucky.
I did find the original caps that were replaced out of the outboard power supply. I looked up the number on the cans. They were TVLU1775 Sprague 125±20% 500 1.4 x 4.0
One thing I am wondering about. With all the problems that could, in fact, should have occured over these past 20+ years, what was it with my particular preamp that kept it relatively problem free until now. Does the fact that I leave it on all the time actually put less stress on it?
(I don't leave my amp on by the way.)
Cheers,
Ed
Alan,
Well, if I'm going to order a part, I may as well order a couple dozen... and get more bang for my buck in the shipping cost! Glad I bought myself a Hakko 936 last spring for Father's day. What's a few more burns in the carpet!
Chris,
I thank you for the capacitor and resistor value suggestions in the outboard power supply Indeed it is similar Alan's comments.
I rather not mention the city I live in. All have good and bad service in them. Whatever was done back then to keep my preamp running near flawlessly for 20+ years is hard to fault. Or maybe I just got lucky.
I did find the original caps that were replaced out of the outboard power supply. I looked up the number on the cans. They were TVLU1775 Sprague 125±20% 500 1.4 x 4.0
One thing I am wondering about. With all the problems that could, in fact, should have occured over these past 20+ years, what was it with my particular preamp that kept it relatively problem free until now. Does the fact that I leave it on all the time actually put less stress on it?
(I don't leave my amp on by the way.)
Cheers,
Ed
Hi Alan,
Thank goodness many manufacturers design a safety margin into their components! Still, actually using that safety margin is not wise. I do recall voltages being high, but it's something I don't remember until I have one sitting on my bench. Like most Counterpoint designs, chasing down one fault typically brings you face to face with a dozen more. Your comments are along the same lines that I use, and especially the comment regarding transient conditions.
Any comments on my stance that would have capacitance lowered well below the maximums listed in the tube data sheet? One more thing people should know. Never run any Counterpoint without all the tubes installed. The voltage on the coupling caps will rise well above their ratings.
Hi Ed,
Okay, no mentioning towns or cities. How close to Georgetown are you? I am not attempting to dig up the name of your audio store or service center. I know most of them very well, and none of them do what I consider to be an acceptable service job. They haven't for well over 20 years. There are / were some very good separate service shops around though.
Resistors. Buy metal oxide parts, at least 1 watt, a two watt part would also fit nicely I think. For the larger 2 watt resistors that dissipate excess heat, install three watt metal oxide. In case you are wondering, metal oxide resistors are one of the better parts for this application. Most vendors have a link to the data sheets. This would allow you to see what the breakdown voltage ratings are.
As for why your equipment lasted this long, it didn't really. Components can take a great deal of abuse before they fail outright. It's amazing how long a botched repair or poorly designed circuit will run.
Turning your stuff on only when you are using it extended the life of your system. People who leave their equipment on and running "24/7" have more failures (think about the heat damage alone), and more costly repair bills. Keep doing what you are doing. Also ensure there is ample ventilation above the preamp. Think along the lines of 5" ~ 7" of clear air space over the unit.
So, make sure you get these final things fixed. While you're buying parts, why not pick up various values of filter capacitors? Try 22 uF, 33 uF and 47 uF. All at 500 VDC, Look up some film capacitors while you are there and pick up what you need. This should put you over any minimum order levels and cancel higher handling fees. You will very likely use any spares in other gear. Sprague is a very good brand of capacitor, just so you know.
-Chris
Thank goodness many manufacturers design a safety margin into their components! Still, actually using that safety margin is not wise. I do recall voltages being high, but it's something I don't remember until I have one sitting on my bench. Like most Counterpoint designs, chasing down one fault typically brings you face to face with a dozen more. Your comments are along the same lines that I use, and especially the comment regarding transient conditions.
Any comments on my stance that would have capacitance lowered well below the maximums listed in the tube data sheet? One more thing people should know. Never run any Counterpoint without all the tubes installed. The voltage on the coupling caps will rise well above their ratings.
Hi Ed,
Okay, no mentioning towns or cities. How close to Georgetown are you? I am not attempting to dig up the name of your audio store or service center. I know most of them very well, and none of them do what I consider to be an acceptable service job. They haven't for well over 20 years. There are / were some very good separate service shops around though.
Resistors. Buy metal oxide parts, at least 1 watt, a two watt part would also fit nicely I think. For the larger 2 watt resistors that dissipate excess heat, install three watt metal oxide. In case you are wondering, metal oxide resistors are one of the better parts for this application. Most vendors have a link to the data sheets. This would allow you to see what the breakdown voltage ratings are.
As for why your equipment lasted this long, it didn't really. Components can take a great deal of abuse before they fail outright. It's amazing how long a botched repair or poorly designed circuit will run.
Turning your stuff on only when you are using it extended the life of your system. People who leave their equipment on and running "24/7" have more failures (think about the heat damage alone), and more costly repair bills. Keep doing what you are doing. Also ensure there is ample ventilation above the preamp. Think along the lines of 5" ~ 7" of clear air space over the unit.
So, make sure you get these final things fixed. While you're buying parts, why not pick up various values of filter capacitors? Try 22 uF, 33 uF and 47 uF. All at 500 VDC, Look up some film capacitors while you are there and pick up what you need. This should put you over any minimum order levels and cancel higher handling fees. You will very likely use any spares in other gear. Sprague is a very good brand of capacitor, just so you know.
-Chris
Ed,
It may be that leaving it on reduced the stress at startup, so possible, though I wouldn't leave mine on (and don't). Digikey has a Canadian operation, so you can avoid duties that way (DigiKey Corp. | Electronic Components Distributor | Canada Home Page.
I replaced C51 with a 10uf 525V cap from Digikey (478-2602-ND). I had bought and installed a 22uf/350Vdc Blackgate VK like Mike Elliot uses in his upgrades, but noticed that the voltage was higher than 350 so replaced it with the AVX from Digikey.
C50 I replaced with BC1589-ND (1uf 440VAC, 1000Vdc)
I'll need to look at some of the others, and might take out C52 as Alan recommended.
Chris and Alan: thanks for your thoughts; most helpful.
Regards,
Chris (another onealm
It may be that leaving it on reduced the stress at startup, so possible, though I wouldn't leave mine on (and don't). Digikey has a Canadian operation, so you can avoid duties that way (DigiKey Corp. | Electronic Components Distributor | Canada Home Page.
I replaced C51 with a 10uf 525V cap from Digikey (478-2602-ND). I had bought and installed a 22uf/350Vdc Blackgate VK like Mike Elliot uses in his upgrades, but noticed that the voltage was higher than 350 so replaced it with the AVX from Digikey.
C50 I replaced with BC1589-ND (1uf 440VAC, 1000Vdc)
I'll need to look at some of the others, and might take out C52 as Alan recommended.
Chris and Alan: thanks for your thoughts; most helpful.
Regards,
Chris (another one
alm
Hi Chris,
I'm glad there was some interesting stuff in there for you. The startup stresses are greatly reduced when the supply capacitors are sized correctly. I'm glad you commented on this as I forgot. I'm not a "Black gate" fan, but it's not because it's a bad part. More it's the hype and prices these components command. It's also the number of people "upgrading" and damaging units out there in the field.
-Chris
I'm glad there was some interesting stuff in there for you. The startup stresses are greatly reduced when the supply capacitors are sized correctly. I'm glad you commented on this as I forgot. I'm not a "Black gate" fan, but it's not because it's a bad part. More it's the hype and prices these components command. It's also the number of people "upgrading" and damaging units out there in the field.
-Chris
Just so we are clear here, I believe Chris is referring to the manufacturer's of the electronic components rather than the manufacturers of audio equipment. When it comes to buying parts, I prefer blue chip manufacturers and avoid boutique efforts like the plague.
Designing circuits to behave properly at power-up and power-down and derating components for these conditions is often ignored. Derating components to prevent cascade failure modes is also often ignored.
There is a signpost that appears locally - "drive to the conditions, not to the speed limit".
Reducing the cap size, increases the conduction angle and lowers the peak diode current. This applies whether the rectifier diode is valve or silicon. Your advice is another example of component derating which is is desirable and improves reliability. Naturally
I prefer my solution - use the maximum recommended cap but add in a build-out resistor 
There are two things happening here.
The coupling caps are all under-rated (200V) for the B+ rail (250V) when the valves are removed. Sadly, the Counterpoints are not unique in this respect.
The second, more subtle problem, is that the B+ regulator drops out of regulation when the valves are removed and the B+ voltage tracks upwards towards the raw DC input voltage of ~425V. There is usually enough leakage (some of those coupling caps starting to implode) to stop it getting all the way there. And when that happens, if you revisit my post above, there is a whole expanded list of stressed components.
The SA5 has an advantage over its cousins (SA7/SA3) because the valve B+ regulator turns on slowly. In the SA7/SA3, the solid state B+ regulators turn on quickly, much more quickly than the signal valves, so the under-rated coupling caps get stressed every time the units are turned on. In other words, the start up condition emulates a 'no valve in the socket' scenario.
Chris (North of the border)
How about I say that we are west of you, in a province with a city in dire need of a new football coach, ceo, quarterback, and wishes it had it's NHL team back...
Chris (South of the border)
Thanks for the information regarding Digikey up here!
Alan (Lord of the Rings... or are you tired of hearing about Peter Jackson...
Thanks for all the info and clarification.
All... now that I look back at everything we've gone through, you're gonna love this... what's your opinion on the SA5/SA5.1? Would one have to go to great expense to find something comparable in the new market? Sorry if I am out of line here, asking opinion on sound rather than DIY repair.
Ed
How about I say that we are west of you, in a province with a city in dire need of a new football coach, ceo, quarterback, and wishes it had it's NHL team back...
Chris (South of the border)
Thanks for the information regarding Digikey up here!
Alan (Lord of the Rings... or are you tired of hearing about Peter Jackson...
Thanks for all the info and clarification.
All... now that I look back at everything we've gone through, you're gonna love this... what's your opinion on the SA5/SA5.1? Would one have to go to great expense to find something comparable in the new market? Sorry if I am out of line here, asking opinion on sound rather than DIY repair.
Ed
Help with positions/markings?
I am really looking forward to diving into this project.
However, as my SA5 has no markings whatsover in terms of "R"s or "C"'s et al, I am starting to get a little nervous about correct part identification.
So far I have managed by finding close ups of small sections of the preamp innards and powersupply in this forum or the internet. Or have used the very helpful descriptions provided.
There are some fullsize overhead shots on the internet of the pre-amp insides, but non such that I can zoom in and see any of the markings clearly.
I wonder why no markings? Early production?
Hope someone can help.
Regards,
Ed
I am really looking forward to diving into this project.
However, as my SA5 has no markings whatsover in terms of "R"s or "C"'s et al, I am starting to get a little nervous about correct part identification.
So far I have managed by finding close ups of small sections of the preamp innards and powersupply in this forum or the internet. Or have used the very helpful descriptions provided.
There are some fullsize overhead shots on the internet of the pre-amp insides, but non such that I can zoom in and see any of the markings clearly.
I wonder why no markings? Early production?
Hope someone can help.
Regards,
Ed
All is forgiven when you bring your Gold AMEX as a tourist. And you suckers actaully paid to watch three of our three-hour tourism commercials...
That could be the case. It is often done as a cost saving measure (NOTE: I'm not suggesting that that is the reason here). False economy in my view. Sometimes, the component legend is left off by mistake.
If you send me a good high res digital pic of the topside of your SA5 I'll do my best to mark up the relevant components. By hi res, I mean use a camera with >= 4M pixels. At the risk of teaching you to suck eggs ... you might be a pro photographer during the daylight hours... use the macro facility, diffuse lighting, a tripod, and turn the flash OFF. Then use the delayed timer so that your shaking hands don't blur the resulting long exposure. Then send it by PM.
Hi Alan,
Good thought. I haven't bothered taking a picture of these, but it might be a very good idea to do so. The earlier Counterpoint products are poorly documented and getting everything straight before the memory fades is pretty smart.
Hi Ed,
The Counterpoint preamps sound pretty good as far as I'm concerned. Then again, compared to the crop of pretty bad sounding newer tube equipment a Counterpoint begins to really shine. Truly, once the design issues are put to bed, they are reliable, good sounding units. Well worth doing the work and keeping them.
Just make sure you don't have the "toroid upgrade" done. The same goes for blindly following M.E.'s modifications he has posted on the web. The man is still making a living off the same product that went out the door ages ago. What a cool trick!
As for your location, I'm not sure. If you run into real trouble, you do know where I am at least. That's what I was attempting to figure out, if you were close enough to help should you need it.
-Chris
Good thought. I haven't bothered taking a picture of these, but it might be a very good idea to do so. The earlier Counterpoint products are poorly documented and getting everything straight before the memory fades is pretty smart.
Can't say as I have a problem with that idea. I prefer lower value capacitance because the high frequency characteristics are better - all other things being equal. You are looking after two of the problems associated with large filter capacitor sizes by adding resistance in series. Thing is, some ripple in the first filter stage isn't a bad thing. I feel many of us have been taught to fear this as an inherent bad thing. It isn't, and it took me a while to figure this out on my own. Many good engineers have already sorted this out.
Hi Ed,
The Counterpoint preamps sound pretty good as far as I'm concerned. Then again, compared to the crop of pretty bad sounding newer tube equipment a Counterpoint begins to really shine. Truly, once the design issues are put to bed, they are reliable, good sounding units. Well worth doing the work and keeping them.
Just make sure you don't have the "toroid upgrade" done. The same goes for blindly following M.E.'s modifications he has posted on the web. The man is still making a living off the same product that went out the door ages ago. What a cool trick!
As for your location, I'm not sure. If you run into real trouble, you do know where I am at least. That's what I was attempting to figure out, if you were close enough to help should you need it.
-Chris
Hi Chris,
Sorry my city location hints didn't help. Guess we are in a more sad part of the country than I thought! Would capital of Manitoba help? We used to be quite a hot spot for audiophiles late 70's and early 80's.
Thanks for you offer for assistance. And the heads-up to not go overboard on pre-amp (M.E.) upgrades. Sometimes I need to be reeled in.
Hi Alan,
Been crazy week here and not even half way through it. Will get to the pics on the weekend. I can either pull out my old Pentax Spotamatic II, a little Canon Digital Camera I have on hand, or tell my future daughter-in-law how neat it would be if she took a still of a really cool pre-amp with her Canon Rebel. Maybe I can tell her the preamp is made by Prada!
Catch up with all later.
Most Sincere Regards,
Ed
Sorry my city location hints didn't help. Guess we are in a more sad part of the country than I thought! Would capital of Manitoba help? We used to be quite a hot spot for audiophiles late 70's and early 80's.
Thanks for you offer for assistance. And the heads-up to not go overboard on pre-amp (M.E.) upgrades. Sometimes I need to be reeled in.
Hi Alan,
Been crazy week here and not even half way through it. Will get to the pics on the weekend. I can either pull out my old Pentax Spotamatic II, a little Canon Digital Camera I have on hand, or tell my future daughter-in-law how neat it would be if she took a still of a really cool pre-amp with her Canon Rebel. Maybe I can tell her the preamp is made by Prada!
Catch up with all later.
Most Sincere Regards,
Ed
It is a damn fine sounding preamp. If you have had it 20 years then it owes you nothing and spending some time (keep it fun) and a some money will reap huge rewards. I can't imagine you doing better for what you are likely to spend in parts on it.
I'm biased - I also think it looks purdy too.
I would be wary of going out and buying one with the view to upgrading it though. It may seem a travesty, but I see anything of that vintage as no more than a case donor. But then I already have too many 'collectibles' awaiting some TLC...
I agree keeping things as vintage as possible. And it is fun to be able to do (with help) some diy repairs.
I imagine you have quite a bit of vintage gear.
I find it interesting to see people in other forums (Audio Asylum) going out of their way to build an 80's system. Glad I made some of the choices I have over these years (decades?).
Ed
I imagine you have quite a bit of vintage gear.
I find it interesting to see people in other forums (Audio Asylum) going out of their way to build an 80's system. Glad I made some of the choices I have over these years (decades?).
Ed
Photo flash capacitors were popular in the early 80's and up into the mid 80's. Then they found that the PF caps degraded, to a dangerous state, sometimes...very quickly.
If for example, you try them in a loudspeaker passive crossover, you will find that they degrade in as little as a few weeks.
Hi Ed,
No problem. Me dense. I gave up trying to follow sports years ago. Running my own business didn't allow me to have any continuity at all.
You still have the audiophiles. They are just quiet for now. My guess is that the consumers are simply tired of being lied to as much as they have over the last 30 years or so. The industry worked very hard for a long time in order to lose our confidence. Short term gains have now presented the flip side.
Hi Ken,
I spent years undoing the damage. Most of the proponents of flash capacitors were the stereo shops and repair dudes that were caught up in what the audio mags had to say. Problem is (as you've pointed out), the photo-flash capacitor was never designed to operate as a filter capacitor. This had nothing to do with quality and everything to do with internal design. The only reason photo-flash capacitors became "in vogue" was the price. That's all. For some reason, and even today, audiophiles latch on to cheap things and use them. Cheap CD players for transports, cheap capacitors - you name it! I'll never understand what rational explains why something that is inexpensive is supposed to out-perform the correct device / part for the job.
So, how are you doing these days?
-Chris
No problem. Me dense. I gave up trying to follow sports years ago. Running my own business didn't allow me to have any continuity at all.
You still have the audiophiles. They are just quiet for now. My guess is that the consumers are simply tired of being lied to as much as they have over the last 30 years or so. The industry worked very hard for a long time in order to lose our confidence. Short term gains have now presented the flip side.
Hi Ken,
Absolutely!!
I spent years undoing the damage. Most of the proponents of flash capacitors were the stereo shops and repair dudes that were caught up in what the audio mags had to say. Problem is (as you've pointed out), the photo-flash capacitor was never designed to operate as a filter capacitor. This had nothing to do with quality and everything to do with internal design. The only reason photo-flash capacitors became "in vogue" was the price. That's all. For some reason, and even today, audiophiles latch on to cheap things and use them. Cheap CD players for transports, cheap capacitors - you name it! I'll never understand what rational explains why something that is inexpensive is supposed to out-perform the correct device / part for the job.
Aren't photo-flash capacitors polarized?
So, how are you doing these days?
-Chris
Ahhhhh. Turned my preamp on after a month or so of happiness and ... badda boom. 5651 didn't light up! And that all so familiar smell of something crispy. However I am going to sum up 5 hours of hair pulling in this...
I checked the usual suspect resistors, though fine, replaced them with big steroid replacements I had been meaning to. All tubes fines except (again) 6JC6A tube rejected! This is the 4th one now I think that was taken out. Replaced that. Turned on... worked fine but then I saw a spark. Where...? Of course between the vertical and horizontal board right in the vicinity of the 6JC6A. Solder-test-solder test... wiggle board... 5651 till intermittent, (all with lights turned out so I can see the lightshow. Husband down in the basement in the dark again burned carpet with soldering gun)... on... clean... resolder... Ed has meltdown... you know what... I finally unsoldered the darn vertical circuit board right off. Included removing 6 screws it took all of 15 minutes. I know it will take me longer to clean and reassemble but WHAT A STUPID WAY to connect 2 circuits boards so (the tubes can lay parallel?) I don't know what it was done that way.
Anyways I am glad I have gone nuts.
If nothing else, I am going to fix all those contacts once and for all!
Thanks for listening to my rant.
Cheers!
Ed
I checked the usual suspect resistors, though fine, replaced them with big steroid replacements I had been meaning to. All tubes fines except (again) 6JC6A tube rejected! This is the 4th one now I think that was taken out. Replaced that. Turned on... worked fine but then I saw a spark. Where...? Of course between the vertical and horizontal board right in the vicinity of the 6JC6A. Solder-test-solder test... wiggle board... 5651 till intermittent, (all with lights turned out so I can see the lightshow. Husband down in the basement in the dark again burned carpet with soldering gun)... on... clean... resolder... Ed has meltdown... you know what... I finally unsoldered the darn vertical circuit board right off. Included removing 6 screws it took all of 15 minutes. I know it will take me longer to clean and reassemble but WHAT A STUPID WAY to connect 2 circuits boards so (the tubes can lay parallel?) I don't know what it was done that way.
Anyways I am glad I have gone nuts.
If nothing else, I am going to fix all those contacts once and for all!
Thanks for listening to my rant.
Cheers!
Ed
Hi Ed,
Yes, that was one of the main issues with that design. I completely agree with you that it was constructed stupidly. There should have been wires run across the connection point, dual for heater connections. There are also possible problems with where the umbilical wires connect to the board. The power unit has more issues as well, solder joints being one of them.
It shouldn't have killed your 6JC6A though. I've seen it take out the pass tube before. One thing you should check since I'm thinking of it. Check that the current regulator diode is okay. Also make sure the voltage across it is about 45 VDC. This is a very approximate figure. The important thing is that these parts are rated for 100 VDC maximum, and they need at least about 10 VDC across them in order to regulate properly. There should be a fixed resistor in series with the diode (actually a J-Fet) that determines how much voltage is dropped across the diode, the balance of which will be found across the resistor. This voltage drop is very dependent on the value of your AC mains. If there isn't a zener diode across this part, use a 5 watt, 91 V zener across the current regulator diode. It will conduct before the part breaks down, but then you have another problem in that the current is uncontrolled. Let's hope the series resistor goes open before dead tubes start popping up. What failed in that tube? Did it arc inside?
Ed, your rant is perfectly justified. I've done so many times myself and they weren't even my units. I guess I should examine how this power supply is designed as well. The SA-5000 has serious design issues as well, and it does blow up the error amp tube (12AX7A). You have to use a good, quiet one in that location (= expensive).
-Chris
Yes, that was one of the main issues with that design. I completely agree with you that it was constructed stupidly. There should have been wires run across the connection point, dual for heater connections. There are also possible problems with where the umbilical wires connect to the board. The power unit has more issues as well, solder joints being one of them.
It shouldn't have killed your 6JC6A though. I've seen it take out the pass tube before. One thing you should check since I'm thinking of it. Check that the current regulator diode is okay. Also make sure the voltage across it is about 45 VDC. This is a very approximate figure. The important thing is that these parts are rated for 100 VDC maximum, and they need at least about 10 VDC across them in order to regulate properly. There should be a fixed resistor in series with the diode (actually a J-Fet) that determines how much voltage is dropped across the diode, the balance of which will be found across the resistor. This voltage drop is very dependent on the value of your AC mains. If there isn't a zener diode across this part, use a 5 watt, 91 V zener across the current regulator diode. It will conduct before the part breaks down, but then you have another problem in that the current is uncontrolled. Let's hope the series resistor goes open before dead tubes start popping up. What failed in that tube? Did it arc inside?
Ed, your rant is perfectly justified. I've done so many times myself and they weren't even my units. I guess I should examine how this power supply is designed as well. The SA-5000 has serious design issues as well, and it does blow up the error amp tube (12AX7A). You have to use a good, quiet one in that location (= expensive).
-Chris
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